Patterico's Pontifications

1/31/2012

Florida Primary Thread; UPDATE: ROMNEY WINS!!!

Filed under: 2012 Election — Karl @ 3:07 pm



[Posted by Karl]

Polls don’t close for a while — and afafik, full exit polls won’t be available until then.  But Drudge leaked an early exit poll topline, which may or may not be reliable, as anyone who suffered through 2000 (or 2004 for that matter) knows.  Some exit poll data is flowing at TIME, the NYT and CBS News

I’m seeing CNN exits on Twitter, which I’ll briefly summarize here.  52% voting in GOP primary were men, 48% women.  34% said they are “very conservative”, 37% “somewhat conservative”, 30% “moderate or liberal.”  66% support the tea party.  15% of GOP voting electorate today is Latino.  39% evangelical Christian, 61% not.  

Fox exits via Twitter: Romney winning 58% of those who say beating Obama is biggest priority.  Romney winning seniors by 15% over Newt.  Romney is last among those who say electing a “true conservative” is most important (shocka).  Romney winning Hispanics by 27%.  Gingrich only leading Romney among evangelicals by 4%.

Discuss.

Update: Nate Silver has some very pretty maps of the 2008 primary results for comparison.  The Fix has 5 counties to watch tonight.  And here’s your Google map and results.

Update 2: Historically, Florida is a blowout.  It will be interesting to see how the margin squares with exit polling suggesting 40% are not happy with the field.

–Karl

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: ROMNEY WINS!!!

OK, I guess it’s not that surprising.

186 Responses to “Florida Primary Thread; UPDATE: ROMNEY WINS!!!”

  1. Ding!

    Karl (ada0e9)

  2. Newt can always blame Santorum.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  3. What about the kosher elderly Jewish demo? C’mon, Karl!!!

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  4. You want I should vote for a Gingrich? Isn’t he Swiss-German?

    Rebbe Moishe (d18b62)

  5. Princess: “You know, in South Carolina we were vastly outspent with negative ads attacking me and we stood back and spoke about President Obama and suffered the consequence of that”

    If it makes you feel good, go ahead, say it.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  6. Hearing voices in your head?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  7. Isn’t he Swiss-German?

    Um, why would that (if true) be relevant?

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  8. Actually, he’s adopted.

    AD-RtR/OS! (b8ab92)

  9. Milhouse,

    Pretty sure Rebbe was referring to this.

    Karl (ada0e9)

  10. Pretty sure Rebbe was referring to this.

    I don’t see how. What connection is there between that and what he wrote?

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  11. Karl – What time do the polls close in God’s little waiting room?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  12. Milhouse,

    Lemme see ….candidate accused of being insensitive to Jews is suggested to be Swiss-German. Thinking there’s a connection there.

    Karl (ada0e9)

  13. eastern Fl polls close at 7pm EST but the panhandle close at 8pm EST due to being in a different time zone

    CommentGuy (ea6549)

  14. The twitter feeds certainly show a bifurcation of group think between SC and FL, e.g., over ‘electability’.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  15. I wonder who’s gonna win

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  16. “Actually, he’s adopted.”

    AD – Who, Milhouse?

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  17. daleyrocks,

    The polls close at 7:00 p.m. across the state, but the state is part of two time zones. Because the northwestern part of the state is in the Central Time zone, polls there don’t close until 8:00 Eastern Time.

    Ah, those 2000 early call nightmares…

    Thus, unlikely to see TV talking results until 8 ET.

    Karl (ada0e9)

  18. Lemme see ….candidate accused of being insensitive to Jews is suggested to be Swiss-German. Thinking there’s a connection there.

    I really don’t see it. I mean, yes, there’s a fair bit of antisemitism in Switzerland, more than in Germany these days, but the Swiss, let alone one specific ethnicity within Switzerland, are not the first people one thinks of as exemplars of antisemitism. Especially not Americans several generations removed from Switzerland.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  19. Eleven percent of the Republican primary electorate is Latino, and in a close race, could tip the scales.

    so that 15% is a high number I guess

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  20. AD – Who, Milhouse?

    No, Gingrich. I still don’t see how it could even be remotely seen as relevant. Certainly not by anyone whose actual name was Moishe. It sounds more like the kind of thing that an antisemite might put into a Jew’s mouth, rather like Maureen Dowd putting words into a TEA Partier’s mouth.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  21. I mean, it just seems like a pretty random thing to say.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  22. Wow that was random 🙄

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  23. Looks like Newt is doing OK, considering the 4:1 ad disadvantage. Romney’s support nationally continues to lag behind the leading candidate, but if he has enough time in a single state, he can overcome with ads.

    Too bad he didn’t fight liberals in MA like he fights conservatives in FL. I read at another blog that relying on Mitt to overcome our nation’s problems, Obamacare, Social Security, the deficit… it’s like fighting cancer with Centrum Silver. And Newt is more like Chemo.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  24. “Because the northwestern part of the state is in the Central Time zone, polls there don’t close until 8:00 Eastern Time.”

    Karl – Okay, the Crackers in the Redneck Riviera can vote later. Got it.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  25. I was confused for a minute about 6:30 when Boston.com implied Romney had a resounding victory and was paeculating what was next for Newt.

    It sure would do my heart good to see such expectations confounded. It’s like they did that on purpose.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  26. crackers! My new favorite is flatbread with avjar. Really delicious and not bad for you at all.

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  27. I don’t have huge hopes; a strong Newt showing would be heartening. A draw would be satisfying; and win and there’s all that entertainment value from tooth gnashing and hand-wringing and wishing for large planetoids to come crashing to earth.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  28. The night’s still young. I think I’ll hang around for a while.

    Chad (d18b62)

  29. Mmm yum Avjar

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  30. I had chicken kiev for dinner though, I’m off the wagon

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  31. Every time I make that I warn my husband of the butter under pressure. Every time he forgets and gets its butter in the eye time.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  32. “My new favorite is flatbread with avjar.”

    Mr. Feets – You should try Sarah Palin’s free range sammins. They let them flop around on the ground as much as they want until they die.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  33. It sure would do my heart good to see such expectations confounded. It’s like they did that on purpose.

    keep plucking that chicken, Sarah… oh, wait…

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  34. “Every time he forgets and gets its butter in the eye time.”

    Sarahw – I try to remember not to cook bacon naked. But no, I keep tempting fate.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  35. You know what?

    I give up.

    I hate every single one of the choices we have this time around. The Republican party was given the gift of the worst president in history – an abysmal failure in both domestic and foreign policy, and a civil rights nightmare – and this is what they give us? These f*ckwits?

    I hate Newt less than Romney, and that’s only because the idea of a guy who actively ran away from Reagan being the guy we decide to put in the seat Reagan once sat in disgusts me.

    The party, in general, is allowing Tea Party members of Congress to be re-redistricted out of office in order to save themselves.

    If we lose Congress, it will be because of these efforts.

    And we have to hold the House. If we can’t gain the Senate (and with the Republican establishment, I don’t think we will), we must hold the House, and with a notable number of Tea Party folks. If we don’t hold the House with these people – the Wests and Walshes – then it won’t matter how large a majority we have in the House, because p*ssies like Boehner will keep giving the Dems what they want without a real fight, which is the same f*cking this as having the Dems run things.

    I think Romney will end up the nominee, and I think he’ll lose. Not only has he disgusted a lot of voters by how he and his people have acted (seriously, how is it the sh*tc*ck who thought sending that cake to Newt hasn’t been savagely beaten?), but his only real advantage – money – will not exist in the general election.

    Because Obama is going to end up spending a billion dollars, and Mittens won’t be able to compete with that.

    So we’re f*cked. Proper f*cked.

    Give up on the White House. It’s a lost cause, because the Republican Party is run by drooling f*cktards who gave us Obama in the first place by running that incompetent sh*tstain of an Arizona Senator.

    Focus on Congressional elections, kid. Spend your money and time there, because without actual Libertarians or Conservatives in those seats, the game is over.

    And really, even that is meaningless, because if you think the government is going to do anything about the actual problem – spending, and specifically entitlements – you haven’t been paying attention. Unless the Libertarian Party ends up in the majority, nothing will be done, spending will continue to increase, and we’ll just continue on this roller coaster ride to the hell that is complete and utter collapse.

    Scott Jacobs (d027b8)

  36. Oh God damnit. F*cking italic tags…

    Scott Jacobs (d027b8)

  37. I’ve never had for reals chicken kiev just the wedding kind

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  38. EdMorrissey: Bigger than I would have predicted. “@JRubinBlogger: OOOF @freddoso Looks like Romney won early voters, 52-25% .”

    postpolitics Gingrich camp behind robocall, ‘unfortunately’ http://t.co/nqn6W6wc

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  39. I had sammins today Mr. daley!! We went to Qbowl Quality Teriyaki Bowl for the first time it was very delicious and healthful cause we got the sammin with the brown rice. Really loved that place and I was excited to learn that they deliver and I’m in their radius.

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  40. 35. Forget the money, Romany can’t prevaricate with Lord of the Flies.

    Not that he could try another tack if he wanted, Obama is truly committed.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  41. Unless the Libertarian Party ends up in the majority, nothing will be done, spending will continue to increase, and we’ll just continue on this roller coaster ride to the hell that is complete and utter collapse.

    That’s quite possibly true. The dominant trend in both major parties is to manage the decline.

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (a18ddc)

  42. Land of Bemidji
    Lord of the Dang Mosquitoes
    blood all he can suck?

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  43. bet those mosquitoes
    look like needle-nosed eagles
    when gary’s trippin’

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  44. fleabit coyote
    lonesome noble prairie wolf
    hear your howls of pain

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  45. My general prediction:

    Newt Gingrich will win the exit poll, although that will talke awhile to report, but lose the primary, because Mitt Romney had a big lead sveral weeks ago and about one third of the votes were cats early. It will not be as big a loss as polls show.

    There are probably about 10% of the coters who cast early votes for Mitt zromney but regret it. These people will encourage a\opther people to votes – friends spouses and succeed in some acses. These votes are not as heavily weighed in polls as vote already acst. these would be people actually not certain to vote. I would give Gingrich an extra 3% for that. Santorum also will get some late deciders.

    Mitt Romney loses votes the longer a campaign goes. His favorability nationwide is now 23% (if I understood a poll right) down from 45% seome weeks ago.

    Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb)

  46. Rush Limbaugh would not say whom he would vote for. Logically it would be Santorum.

    Sammy Finkelman (d3daeb)

  47. Ajvar (not avjar) is kind of nice. I came across it at Trader Joe a few years ago and tried a few different brands. But then I got bored with it.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  48. they really don’t need to make the jars as big as they do

    unless there’s some recipe I’m missing

    happyfeet (a55ba0)

  49. We’ve gone ruminant at my house, crippled by my cooking, but no ones sold on eggplant yet.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  50. The Republican party was given the gift of the worst president in history – an abysmal failure in both domestic and foreign policy, and a civil rights nightmare – and this is what they give us?

    The bar was so low. And yet still too high for the GOP.

    Dana (4eca6e)

  51. Distinct anti-FatBoy sentiment in Florida may have played to Newt’s disadvantage.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  52. CNN exit polls virtually mirror Fox, 46/32/12/8.

    RNC could challenge winner-take-all but they’ve already lopped the total in half so fat chance.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  53. CNN exit polls virtually mirror Fox, 46/32/12/8.

    RNC could challenge winner-take-all but they’ve already lopped the total in half so fat chance.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  54. Eggplant is delicious in so many different ways. Almost like potato. I can no more imagine giving up one than the other.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  55. EdMorrissey: CNN exit poll shows Romney edged Gingrich among Tea Party voters, 40/38.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  56. jimgeraghty Elderly had been Gingrich’s strength so far. Tonight, voters 65 and older: Mitt 51%, Newt 34%.

    michellemalkin Dear Newt supporters: Stop whining about Romney’s money. Ask Sheldon Adelson for more. #FLprimary

    philipaklein Fox: Romney won 54% of electability voters

    michellemalkin It’s official. Romney romps in Florida. Message to Newt: Quit pandering to illegal alien grandmothers.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  57. jimgeraghty Exit poll has vote among women: Mitt 51%, Newt 29%.

    philipaklein Fox: Romney wins economy voters 51-31

    jimgeraghty Hey, remember ten days ago when Romney was on the ropes and this race was turned upside down?

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  58. philipaklein Voters who wanted somebody w/ a strong character went for Romney 45 to 8 http://t.co/7lGD7KoQ (Ed. note: Ouch!!!)

    allahpundit These are the words I want Newt’s speech to open with: “Tonight I want to talk about kosher meals.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  59. TheFix Electability matters: 45% of #flprimary voters said beating Obama was most impt quality in a candidate — Romney won by 25 over Newt.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  60. Yes, that worked so well with McCain last time,

    narciso (87e966)

  61. michellemalkin Loving all the Occupier-channeling Newtbot rhetoric in my tweetstream. Heckuva job, Newt.

    michellemalkin This is from a “conservative,” not an Occupier. RT @lemieuxcrosby: @michellemalkin go eat it malkin go back to your money!

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  62. chin up, narciso…

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  63. allahpundit RT @duchessrebecca: DAMN! RT @guypbenson: *Personal* favorability: Newt 55/40 — Romney 76/21 #ExitPolls

    TheFix 80% of #FLprimary voters identified themselves as Republicans. In that group, Romney 48, Newt 34.

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  64. “FIDO says it couldn’t be any better.” – NASA PAO, STS-1, 4/14/81

    DCSCA (9d1bb3)

  65. Moron says what?

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  66. If your an idiot like Barack Obama you call our navy the corpsemen.

    If your an idiot like the left you think Bush was so dumb he committed 9-11.

    If your an idiot like Biden you open your mouth every time.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  67. “Mitt Romney’s huge win tonight in Florida was sufficiently large that it is not possible to interpret it as anything but a stamp of approval from a broad cross-section of Republican voters in a closed primary. Given that by the last week, the primary had become a two-man race, it is also impossible to avoid the conclusion that it was a resounding rejection of Newt Gingrich. Gingrich appears likely to take the sore loser scenario in the coming weeks as he attempts to foul the well for the likely nominee by branding him as not just a relative moderate — which is what Romney actually is — but a liberal. Gingrich may be able to convince his large donors to fund a last ditch and probably futile effort to derail the frontrunner. But he is unlikely to persuade most Republicans that they are better off with a crippled nominee simply to vent his personal spleen at Romney for having beaten him at his own game with negative ads.

    More importantly, the message that Gingrich has been given from Florida Republicans is that they consider him less electable than Romney.”

    http://www.commentarymagazine.com/2012/01/31/romney-electability-florida-primary/#more-782478

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  68. Santorum needs a new hobby

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  69. Romney needs a new hobby.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  70. origami rocks Mr. nk made me a swan once I still have it

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  71. Most interesting thing to watch for is the margin of victory in the panhandle – will be a rough guide to how the Southern demographics are going to play out for Romney.

    Electionate (32621c)

  72. jimgeraghty Newt says the Power of People will overcome the Power of Money. It’s a shame they let Romney’s money vote like that.

    allahpundit Moon bases, media bias, and resentment. Mmmmmm yeah.

    postpolitics RT @fixrachel: Gingrich: “It is now clear that this will be a two person race.” Well, that’s one way to spin it.

    EdMorrissey CNN: Gingrich taking a pass on morning news shows, “raises eyebrows”; John King says Gingrich looked tired on the campaign trail.

    JRubinBlogger newt trying to argue it’s a 2 man race- but he just got SMOKED

    jimgeraghty “It is now clear it will be a two person race,” says the guy who won one state, hinting the other guy who won one state should quit.

    philipaklein “elite media” DRINK!

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  73. jimgeraghty I _am_ big. It’s the GOP primary electorate that got small.

    TheFix RT @keachhagey “David Broder shoutout! Newt is unable to mask his secret love for the political press.” SO TRUE. #flprimary

    allahpundit RT @NKingofDC: The best line so far in Newt’s speech is his admitting that he’s “just winging it.” Indeed he is.

    philipaklein RT @Joelmentum: How shocked will Gingrich be when he finds out that Romney won the #flprimary ?

    RichLowry Altho this must be the most grandiose speech on the occasion of sweeping defeat ever

    Colonel Haiku (d18b62)

  74. It’s only a flesh wound.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  75. Every time I think I might be able to accept Romney as the nominee, some asshat posts another 15 posts of hateful bile, and my blood is back up. What a jerk.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  76. Comment by Scott Jacobs — 1/31/2012 @ 4:18 pm

    Well, if Romney is the nomninee and loses, or wins and runs the same policies and deficits, there won’t be much point to the Tea Party members staying in the Republican Party in the midterm. I’d expect that the Republicans would implode in many places, particularly the South, Southwest and Rockies. Don’t know which faction would be left standing in 2016, assuming that Obama hasn’t become Emperor or something.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  77. “I’ll never get over Macho Grande’

    narciso (87e966)

  78. Well, if Romney is the nomninee and loses, or wins and runs the same policies and deficits, there won’t be much point to the Tea Party members staying in the Republican Party in the midterm.

    On the contrary, if Romney loses then the TEA Party Republicans will be very energised in the 2014 midterms. Or if he wins, performs as expected, and the TEA Party Republicans stand up to him.

    Milhouse (ea66e3)

  79. Newt won the panhandle, at least. Romney has momentum all right, but he still hasn’t closed the deal and he is not yet on track to have a majority of delegates at the convention.

    In 2008, Romney ran it out to “Super Tuesday” which came on Feb 5 in 2008, with 21 states holding primaries including California. McCain pretty much swept and it was all over for Romney, who quit and endorsed McCain. Huckabee ran it out quite a ways due to McCain being such a squish, but it was hopeless.

    This year there are a few primaries and caucuses in February and Newt really needs to have a decent showing. But on March 6 there are 10 contests (either caucuses or open primaries) and it may all be over after that. The fact that these are open primaries and there is no Democrat contest gives Romney an edge going in, with the wind at his back.

    It is still possible for Newt to win this thing, but it’s not the odds bet. Unless this change pretty quickly, it will end not at the Convention, but on March 6.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  80. On the contrary, if Romney loses then the TEA Party Republicans will be very energised in the 2014 midterms. Or if he wins, performs as expected, and the TEA Party Republicans stand up to him.

    The question then is: does the TEA Party run its slate in the Republican primaries, or in the general election having given up on the Republican machine?

    Kevin M (563f77)

  81. congratulations Mr. Romney on a hard-bought victory

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  82. Gee–I can’t imagine why the “Romney proved that he wants to re-enact the Holocaust by trying to have kosher food at rest homes shipped in rather than cooked on site” argument didn’t win the day for NG. It’s *so* brilliant and persuasive.

    M. Scott Eiland (003254)

  83. Mitt’s money, finally, did not let him down.

    AD-RtR/OS! (9ffde5)

  84. yeah that was silly Mr. Eiland Newt doesn’t always seem comfortable campaigning on the for reals issues

    but you know what they say

    practice practice practice

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  85. But pretending he had been against the Contras, when he defended the US position abroad, letting
    Tom Brokaw do the talking, remarkably getting the w hole story wrong, that’s considered honorable,

    narciso (87e966)

  86. Tom Broke the law and Mutt Romney deserve each other in holy matrimony.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  87. More importantly, the message that Gingrich has been given from Florida Republicans is that they consider him less electable than Romney.”

    An important msg from a state that came within 712 votes of electing AlGore President.

    AD-RtR/OS! (9ffde5)

  88. 536, AD, I was there.

    narciso (87e966)

  89. I must have been looking at the wrong chads.

    AD-RtR/OS! (9ffde5)

  90. That may have been after they disqualified the military absentee vote, including from the recovery
    team from the USS Cole,

    narciso (87e966)

  91. Gun Control doesn’t rid the world of Illegal guns you idiot lefturds.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  92. The way do away with Illegal guns is to kill convicted murderers.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  93. the only way*

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  94. If Santorum were out, how many of would those voters would migrate on over to Newt? Assuming all (assuming a lot) that would have been a near draw.

    I guess some might vote for SMOD.

    Sarahw (b0e533)

  95. Kev M, ya little wuss… have you fetched that bone for Icy yet?

    Colonel Haiku (fcb9c9)

  96. Tomorrow’s another day, Fans of Newt. Be of good cheer.

    Colonel Haiku (fcb9c9)

  97. Romney would never have been able to do it without that FDIC bailout.

    daleyrocks (bf33e9)

  98. If your an idiot like biden you open your mouth every time.

    Comment by Dohbiden — 1/31/2012 @ 5:54 pm

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    The idiot became self-aware at 5:54PM on January 31, 2012.

    Colonel Haiku (fcb9c9)

  99. ______________________________________________

    34% said they are “very conservative”, 37% “somewhat conservative”, 30% “moderate or liberal.”

    And that breakdown pertains to registered Republicans only? If so — and placing that 30% against the backdrop of the political spectrum’s mid-point having shifted leftward over the past 50 years — is it any wonder that so much ideological squishiness exists out there?

    It’s getting to the point where “very conservative” eventually will mean people who don’t mind, say, a government-controlled healthcare system as long as contraceptives and abortions aren’t a mandated benefit. Or folks who don’t mind same-sex marriages, but draw the line at the idea of mothers being allowed to marry their sons. Or voters who don’t mind social security benefits being reduced as long as the retirement age also is lowered to 40.

    Mark (411533)

  100. The troops won’t be coming back home they will be pushed into Obama’s war on uganda.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  101. yes santorum is not serving a function he’s like your appendix

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  102. Romney didn’t win Fla because he “appeals to moderates and Independents”. Independents don’t vote in Fla primaries. He won because people are starting to believe that he has grown out of time and governing experience into a conservative (similar to Reagan in that respect). He has almost identical stances on issues with Santorum and Gingrich. The “establishment” (God I hate that phrase) supports Romney because they don’t want to waste their time and effort on someone that couldn’t put a nationwide campaign together and/or get on all the ballots. They want Romney because they feel he can win and want to spend their money on someone that can beat Obama. People that want a candidate with “fire and brimstone” should put their money where their mouth is and support Newt. Then he’d have more money. Conservatives that feel it’s more important to hold a position longer than someone else can give money to Santorum. Ron Paul supporters do.

    I loyally listen to Rush and Mark Levin every day. That’s 6 hours of anti-Romney talk five days a week and replayed on weekends with millions of listeners and potential political doners. The DNC has targeted Romney (solely) in daily negative ads since the beginning of the primary. Romney doesn’t whine about it. It seems to me he’s the only one that is truly preparing himself for what we all know is coming. This is politics and the negative statements towards adversaries has been going on since John Adams.

    Dave B (982f20)

  103. “Sarahw – I try to remember not to cook bacon naked. But no, I keep tempting fate.”

    So, if you ever change your ways…what are you going to make the bacon wear?

    Dave Surls (46b08c)

  104. If Romney keep continue bringing the negative campaign and if he does get the nominee, it going to be the race for Romney to lose in November. The conservatives will stay at home on Election day and not vote for Romney. Romney and the Establishment GOP are hurting the conservatives and GOP is going to lose the White House. I will not vote for Romney.

    m (aa7950)

  105. but you know what they say
    practice practice practice

    34 years of practice, and counting . . .

    Icy (d5ef49)

  106. Does “m” stand for ‘meme’?

    Icy (d5ef49)

  107. Turnout down 13% from 2008, later in the season in a mostly decided contest for a doomed frontrunner.

    Ogabe raised $68 Million 4th Qtr., Romney $24 Million, spent $17 Million in FL “Bombing Gingrich back to the Stone Age”–Brit Hume.

    Winning.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  108. Yep, Gary. Jimmy Carter voter Romney is unusual in that he can’t win without outspending the competition many times over.

    And yet, he will have a harder time with Obama AND lack a money advantage. Sure, he’ll attack Obama, which is good, but he doesn’t have anything but centrism. Two supposed centrists (at least Obama will run as one, and the media will convince most he is one) attacking each other.

    It’s not a great worry for me that Newt is taking a ton of attacks. He’s dished out his share, and now he’s taking his share. Some are unfair, but that’s the way it works. Newt needs to remember that he’s not playing by the rules Romney is because the liberals want Romney to be the nominee… indeed, some wouldn’t mind him being president since they worry the economy might doom Obama (I doubt that). Mitt “Massive tax hike fees, mandates, fines and loophole closings that cost citizens several thousand dollars per year” Romney can attack conservative principles and won’t take nearly as much flack for it as a supposed hypocrite.

    I disagree with Happyfeet about Santorum. Personally, I do not agree with Santorum on the role of government, and I don’t think he’s as qualified for the presidency as the others, but he’s been impressively straight forward and I respect him. The field is not that crowded. Mitt can create the illusion of being the front runner one state at a time right now, but that’s just not reality. He continues to lag behind the leading candidate in nationwide polls, and he just can’t run this kind of campaign on super tuesday.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  109. Winning Whining.

    Comment by gary gulrud

    FTFY

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  110. Mitt can create the illusion of being the front runner one state at a time right now, but that’s just not reality. He continues to lag behind the leading candidate in nationwide polls, and he just can’t run this kind of campaign on super tuesday.

    One man’s “reality” is another man’s OCD.

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  111. I wonder if people would say Newt or Mitt were racist if they used expressions like “prawn of arab loins”.

    I think folks would at least conclude they were nasty idiots.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  112. btw, on a completely unrelated issue to this, I the author of “cogent haiku” who I learned had said things about how he will spend a great deal of time “establishing credibility” on conservative blogs, and then “ceaselessly troll” conservatives while dropping little bits of disinformation. And strangely enough, that guy who has repeatedly discussed being an ugly moby is obsessed with this particular blog. Obviously, my first thought was that this is very familiar from my interactions here.

    It’s worth wondering why our own C Haiku seems to be killing two birds with one stone: he makes it a lot harder for folks to support Romney and makes Romney supporters look ridiculous and evil, while he attacks a slew of candidates and commenters. At minimum, he is a jackass who is consistently ruinous to party unity. But maybe that’s not accidental.

    I’m pretty confident at least one of the commenters here has “established” themselves (and for a troll, the easiest way would be simplistic humor rather than articulating conservatism) and is now trolling, because that guy is so motivated to do so and there’s little that could stop him. It’s less important to identify who that is, than it is to recognize when someone seems to consistently inspire resentment and anger that they are not worth taking seriously.

    If Romney is the nominee, he’s better than Obama. They both have a liberal record, but one is corrupt and the other isn’t. Just because one of his apparent supporters lacks a coherent argument other than ugliness doesn’t mean we should hold that against Romney.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  113. I the author of “cogent haiku”

    that should say “I discovered an author of “cogent haiku”. I don’t even remember the number of syllables in a proper haiku.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  114. jaketapper #ExitPolls…76% favorable impression of Romney/55% for Gingrich…Santprum voters see Romney more favorably than Gingrich, 60%-49%

    jaketapper #ExitPolls BIG gender gap. Women backed Romney over Gingrich 51-28. Romney beat Gingrich with men 41-35.

    jaketapper of 16% of FL GOP voters focused on “strong moral character,” Romney beat Gingrich 44% to 7%. #Yikes

    jaketapper Some data from the FL exit polling….65% say they’d be satisfied w Romney as the GOP nominee…53% for Gingrich/Santorum

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  115. jaketapper #Exitpolls Lastly, Romney regained superiority among voters for whom “economy” is most important issue, beating NG 52-29. Best yet.

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  116. fleabit coyote
    oughtta put leash on all that
    howling and whining

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  117. fleabit coyote
    oughtta put leash on all that
    howling and whining

    Comment by Colonel Haiku

    See what I mean? Knowing that there is a guy who explained he wishes to pose as a conservative and ceaseless troll blogs, who is obsessed with this blog, and write haiku… it’s easy to draw the conclusion that this person’s need to associate Romney support with his needless hostility (and oddly stale Perry bashing) is meant to kill two birds with one stone. Last year, a ton of mobies posed as hysterical Palin supporting concern trolls. It was cliche.

    That said, I do not know that Colonel Haiku is a moby. I just know he has the same effect as one. It doesn’t really matter.

    And for someone who cries ceaselessly and got angry enough to use commentary like “prawn of arab loins”, the “you’re whining” response seems like projection. I ignore 99.999% of Haiku’s comments, after all.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  118. snarling and yipping
    coyote whirling dervish
    doggie “dance of death”

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  119. Now suppose you were an actual Romney supporter who knew as well as Colonel does how popular Perry is on conservative blogs of high info voters?

    Wouldn’t you try to convince Perry supporters to support Romney, instead of spend all your time kicking these voters now that their man is out?

    Maybee has done this with her discussion of Romney’s executive experience… that’s one thing Perry supporters would like about Romney and find lacking in Newt and Santorum.

    It’s interesting to me that someone would target Perry knowing that this particular blog reading demographic actually likes Perry and Perry isn’t a candidate anymore.

    Also interesting to me is how Colonel Haiku behaves. Argue more with him, and he tones down, argue less with him, and he tones up the hostility. That is the opposite of what I see in the other Romney fans… the other guys, even the ones I don’t really like, get more angry when you argue with them, and less angry when you don’t. Haiku is the opposite. He has a pattern of dialing up the ugliness until he gets a response.

    That pattern is only logical if he’s trolling.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  120. run coyote run
    snatch your sad, broken dreams and
    run like scalded cat

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  121. We regret to inform you your .001 limit has been exceeded.

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  122. And if this is not correct, Haiku, perhaps you should start thinking about the big picture and your maturity level / hatred.

    I’ve never seen someone consistently so hostile who isn’t suffering in some way. For the bigotry, I want you to know I do forgive you whether you’re a moby or just crazy.

    I’m going to go back to ignoring you now.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  123. lol

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  124. coyote hustle
    slingin’ crack on street corner
    drop the pipe back away

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  125. crocodile tears are
    one thousand and one nights of
    Iranian schemes

    Colonel Haiku (8150b6)

  126. so does this mean we don’t get a moon base?

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  127. See what I mean? Outright racism when I ignore him completely, and “lol” when I criticize him directly and with detail.

    That “you’ve got to keep him under your boot because he’s middle eastern” sockpuppet was you, right?

    He is, at minimum, aware that he’s trolling this blog ceaselessly, just like the “Cogent Haiku” guy said he would after he “established credibility”,

    Interestingly, Colonel Haiku was the only commenter here who expressed support for Qritiq’s behavior (Qritiq is a blogger who urged people to emulate Brett Kimberlin’s outing of “trolls” aka people who tell the truth). She also said “lulz” last night when she noticed that the “cogent haiku” guy just got a protective order against a recent Patterico.com blogger.

    Of course, I have to be reasonable about this circumstantial case,,, I’m not convinced these are the same guy, I’m convinced Haiku is a troll who is so bad he’s indistinguishable from such a moby.

    Haiku responds to this with “you’re smoking crack” because there is no defense for his behavior.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  128. so does this mean we don’t get a moon base?

    Comment by happyfeet

    I like that kind of vision, but we are flat broke as a country and think we should entertain such investments only if we can do so within a balanced budget.

    Don’t invest in gold by putting the charge on your high interest credit card.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  129. As usual pikachu wasn’t paying attention, the moonbase was not about NASA, but as he admits
    freely, they don’t tell him anything

    narciso (87e966)

  130. she noticed that the “cogent haiku” guy just got a protective order against a recent Patterico.com blogger.

    I need to correct. The order was the other way around. That’s right… things are bad enough that one of our friends won a protective order against someone who convincingly portrays a psycho. And Qritiq’s reaction was to laugh, but then, she also said that I was committing libel to call threats comments including “I want to punch you” and also comments describing harming a blogger’s family. And then they started talking about my dog, by name.

    It would be wrong to assert our Haiku guy is their Haiku guy just because our guy follows the pattern theirs said he would employ, but it’s not wrong to note just how trollish this guy is, or that I find them difficult to distinguish.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  131. As usual pikachu wasn’t paying attention, the moonbase was not about NASA, but as he admits
    freely, they don’t tell him anything

    Comment by narciso

    that was a private initiative Newt was talking about? Frankly, why would the president concern himself with that?

    It’s not that I don’t see some merit to getting back to the moon. I think space exploration is possible within a balanced, budget, though.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  132. Newt has been for space exploration for nearly 30 years, now one would think with a space cost savaged by Obama’s devastating cuts, one would think that would matter, but this is the Mike Castle primary, all over again, facts are irrelevant.

    narciso (87e966)

  133. Newt has been for space exploration for nearly 30 years

    Right, and to his credit, he’s at least tried very hard to fight for a balanced budget for at least 29 of them, given his 1983 comment to Reagan.

    But it’s a tricky prospect arguing for any non essential programs. Granted, space exploration is the opposite of Romneycare in that it primarily benefits the next few generations instead of robs it.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  134. Pawlenty was my preferred candidate. Solidly conservative successful governor. No baggage. His focus was on fiscal issues which is what people are looking for. He also didn’t seem to have a habit of putting his foot in his mouth etc. He didn’t do well in his one debate but it was hardly fatal. It also didn’t help that Michele Bachmann fabricated a quote by him in that debate that indicated he was supporting big government.

    He had as good or better fiscal conservative credentials than Perry, working with a Democrat controlled legislature, and on paper is clearly a more formidable candidate than Santorum and of course he has executive ability, one of Newt’s weak areas.

    I’m still scratching my head about his quick withdrawal, although he didn’t seem to be attracting a lot of initial attention from Tea Partiers or social conservatives.

    Gerald A (cc0aaa)

  135. the Mike Castle primary, all over again

    I honestly think Newt can beat Obama (or to be more honest, Obama can lose on his own thanks to the economy). I was very fixated on electability with the DE Senate race, though I think that fixation was at the expense of the long term direction of the party (which is actually making the GOP less electable). In other words, I was wrong in that case. electability was less relevant than just standing up for at least something.

    One similarity in both cases is that the good candidates didn’t show up.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  136. He had as good or better fiscal conservative credentials than Perry, working with a Democrat controlled legislature,

    That’s true.

    I’m still scratching my head about his quick withdrawal

    He and Perry were brave about not supporting boondoggle wastes of money, even in the backyard of those who benefit much from that.

    Democracy happened. People don’t want that kind of leadership. Had he stayed in, he’s who I would be supporting.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  137. I like moon bases they’re spiffy!

    but I wanna know about deficits and spendings and regulatings and such and I want to know the nominee has the focus and ambition to tackle these seemingly insurmountable challenges what Mitt Romney is doing a relatively good job paying lip service too without offering any meaningful specifics

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  138. too

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  139. I don’t even remember the number of syllables in a proper haiku.

    “I would close this one,
    That other department, and
    What’s the third one? Oops!”

    Icy (60cd65)

  140. what Mitt Romney is doing a relatively good job paying lip service too without offering any meaningful specifics

    Both Coleman’s comments and Rubio’s recent bill regardling opting out of Obamacare suggest there is little confidence Romney would successfully repeal Obamacare. And that’s fair. At best, he will collaborate with democrats again and come up with something that includes issues like the preexisting conditions poison pill (poison for long term feasibility).

    And he’s said he’ll preserve entitlements and was ferocious about Perry’s accurate “ponzi scheme” appraisal. I don’t think Romney’s been as passionate about anything like he’s been about entitlement preservation.

    And that truly is the hardest fight. I didn’t have much confidence Perry, Ryan, and the like would manage to fix it, and the notion of RINOs doing it is preposterous (in my opinion… please prove me wrong and I’ll be happy to eat crow for a year).

    Dustin (401f3a)

  141. 139. I was here in MN for the end of Pawlenty’s tenure as Majority Leader in the House and the whole of his Governorship.

    He is a waste of breath.

    112. I retract “later in the season”, they moved it up in 2008 already and lost half their delegates then too.

    Of the “Strongly supporting TEAs” Neuter took 45% to Romany’s 33%. Calling “Supports TEAs” TEA Partiers is another transparent falsehood on the part of the calcified GOP.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  142. “I would close this one,
    That other department, and
    What’s the third one? Oops!”

    Comment by Icy

    Yeah, Perry had a lackluster polish.

    However, he did have executive experience and was quite conservative. Now that he’s not a candidate, and knowing just how popular he was on this narrow demographic that is high info conservative blog commenters, it makes sense to try to appeal to his voters.

    For example, you like Santorum. Both Perry and Santorum had a lot of common ground on social issues (not my focus, but to each his own). Newt and Perry have a lot of common ground on ideology. And Mitt is the only guy with substantial executive experience, though Newt has much better leadership results (Mitt’s claim to take credit for every job Bain produced is undermined when people apply that to everything else Bain did and he balks).

    Anyway, it’s one thing to have a sense of humor, and another thing to ceaselessly troll. It’s one thing to be an outright racist because someone is ignoring you, and another to get angry as an argument heats up.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  143. yes Mr. dustin Wall Street Romney thinks the “safety net” is just fine maybe just needs a stitch or two

    but it’s important to note that when he says such things he’s lying and evincing McCain levels of cowardice at the same time

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  144. I was here in MN for the end of Pawlenty’s tenure as Majority Leader in the House and the whole of his Governorship.

    It’s important to compare him to the candidates we have, rather than the ideal candidate we can imagine. This is why I supported Rick Perry, even when I noticed he didn’t have the showbiz factor and was unprepared for the debates (though he did get better steadily… he doomed himself fair and square).

    Folks like T Paw were rejected by people who did not have a constructive path forward among any of the alternative candidates. This is how the conservatives have screwed up in this and other primaries. “he’s not conservative enough for me” is such a common thread, yet we should be saying which of our actual options would work.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  145. 137, 140. “Mike Castle primary all over again”.

    Well, sorta. DE Republicans retired career tick Castle in obstinate opposition to their betters.

    But they had a pre-selected sacrificial chicken to coalesce around.

    Neuter still has to shake the t*rd from his pants.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  146. 150. Perry was always more authentic than Timmy Pee. Pawlenty a better politician, Ok, I’ll give him that.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  147. I didn’t know there was a meltdown scheduled for today?

    Nobody tells me anything!

    Icy (60cd65)

  148. Perry was always more authentic than Timmy Pee. Pawlenty a better politician, Ok, I’ll give him that.

    I agree, but those two never really ran against eachother anyway. Both did enough to earn my respect because both made conservative statements in places where people benefit from wasteful spending. Both treated the voters like adults. That’s the same reason I like Joe Miller, and something I never see from Romney and frankly… it’s something Newt isn’t that great about either.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  149. 145. Proper Haiku in English, bastardization that it is. Icy is become poet laureate.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  150. The problem with a President Newt building a moon base is that a base on the moon requires vast quantities of heated air in order to be inhabitable, and since no one can be in two places at once . . .

    Icy (60cd65)

  151. Primary schedule looks grim until Super Tuesday.

    No delegates selected in MO but Neut not on ballot.

    Colorado unreliable. Nevada 10% Rombots by birth. Maine, Yankees.

    Minnesota–do I get a baby sitter for 4 hours, nah. Michele can’t make up her mind.

    WA, MI probably lost. Only AZ looks promising.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  152. Primary schedule looks grim until Super Tuesday.

    I suppose you’re right, but there’s no reason to give up on this. Conservatives have nothing to lose by trying.

    There is a clear problem of ballot access, which makes it quite expensive (therefore anti reformer outsider) to be the GOP nominee. It’s not a test of candidate strength… it’s a bar against those who can’t get insta-cash much earlier than a grassroots candidate would be able to.

    This is why reformers have to be insiders to some extent. Perry, Palin, etc. They can raise the cash before people hear what they are promising, which gets them on ballots (well… constitutional ones unlike VA’s).

    Of course, once you’ve raised all that money, some folks want a return. Access, their fingerprints on things. Suddenly Tom Delay is hanging out on K-Street and conservatives are demoralized.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  153. Narciso, it’s always amusing seeing climate science defenders insist on appeals to authority. Now it’s not scientists, but “climate” scientists. Yet how in the hell do you become a published climate scientist, or get tenure as one? Or even a job as one? Well, you have to support global warming.

    And you have to keep tweaking the theory to accommodate every new fact about how global warming doesn’t appear to follow the models, or perhaps isn’t even happening, to the point where we now just vaguely note that the climate changes (duh).

    No, you don’t need a special license that Michael Mann has the power to revoke in order to opine on the topic Michael Mann also has attempted to deceive folks about.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  154. They have Michael Oppenheimer, one of those spectacularly wrong folks, in terms of climate
    predictions, but they don’t think they will be called on it,

    narciso (87e966)

  155. Exactly, Narciso. “Yeah, I’m provably not an expert on predicting climate, but I have the word climate in my job title, so ignore the scientific method that people who lack such a title are applying… ya know, where a hypo is disproven and we consider something else… ignore that.”

    I see a similar attitude from the ‘Keynesian’ economists (what they argue for is not truly what Keynes would have favored).

    Dustin (401f3a)

  156. 159, 160. To paraphrase Nietzsche:

    “Do you not know Global Warming is dead?”

    Solar Science, Climate Science, Keynesian Economics, all of a kind.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  157. 158. “but there’s no reason to give up on this. Conservatives have nothing to lose by trying”

    Absolutely agree, let’s bleed the Transylvanian until Vlad, in his native soil, be staked in place, never to rise, evermore.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  158. Copernicus kept insisting the experts stop adding convolutions to their theory that the Earth was the center of the universe, every time an observation exposed that it wasn’t. They had such a bewildering explanation for everything, much like the hide the decline folks.

    But of course, Copernicus thought the sun was the center of the universe. Even the guy who proves something wrong, is wrong. All we really know is that we need to be quite skeptical of experts. By all means, rely on the best understand we have as we make decisions, but be aware that we’re never going to approach certainty or “expertise” and those who need such arguments need it because their science sucks.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  159. Keynes probably feels like Macluhan, in Annie
    Hall ‘you know nothing of my work’

    narciso (87e966)

  160. Romney’s negative ad strategy is dangerous both to him and the party. There’s a reason why airlines don’t run negative ads showing their competitor’s plane crashes.

    All Obama has to do is ignore the attacks and say that Romney is “old politics” while he takes the high road and lets the press be his attack dogs and “truth squad”. Much the same way he handled Rev Wright and such last time.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  161. That said, if Gingrich wants to have a chance he needs to get back to ideas and goals, where Romney cannot compete, not bashing Romney or complaining about the attack machine.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  162. More wishful thinking from the Cap’n:

    http://hotair.com/archives/2012/02/01/obama-money-advantage-disappearing/

    All is well! All is WELL!!!

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  163. That said, if Gingrich wants to have a chance he needs to get back to ideas and goals, where Romney cannot compete, not bashing Romney or complaining about the attack machine.

    Comment by Kevin M

    That’s a very good criticism, and it applies both to Newt being Romney and Obama.

    Newt has great ideas and communicates them well. But it’s very easy to get under his skin, particularly with ‘friendly’ fire, because Newt has been betrayed before.

    Long term, Newt can just offer his ideas and the negative attack machine will remind folks of yet another way Obama and Romney are similar.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  164. yes that is very well said Mr. M

    happyfeet (3c92a1)

  165. Retail trade is three days dead in the tomb, but EU banks, now that ECB has begun printing 1.5 Trillion in new LTRO cash has, today anyway, money burning thru its pocket and its time to park it somewheres safe:

    “U.S. stocks jumped 1% early Wednesday, driven by shares of banks and technology companies, as worries about Europe’s debt crisis eased.”

    Don’t look over your shoulder boys:

    http://financialfeeder.net/2012/01/why-an-outsized-ltro-will-actually-be-bad-for-european-banks/

    We’re not as screwed as they are, as they are, as they are,…

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  166. You know, Gary, a lot would be solved by a balanced budget. The US Dollar would be restored as a place to preserve wealth, which would greatly help us economically.

    Our debt is so severe that it seems inflation is the only solution on the democrat menu, so I am not optimistic. The long term consequences is that people will rely on other currencies and Americans will lose a great deal of wealth in what I consider yet another hidden tax.

    Newt figured this out in 1983.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  167. Are you sitting down:

    http://crackupboom.net/about/

    With the ECB committed to boosting liquidity(by means of low interest loans unlike the Fed’s free money) USD will rise rapidly against euro, making exports to a Europe in recession a goner.

    Yesterday’s PMI and today’s ISM indicate a stall. Expect Friday’s NFP numbers to indicate the same.

    Obama today plumps his plan for penalizing Banks over the foreclosure mess so the plug in the pipeline of pending foreclosures, that has propped up prices(yeah, you read that right) is about to clear.

    Obama has no choice, as soon as feasible Helicopter Ben has to return to the presses with QE3. Reality is god-awful but the Ministry of Truth will call it sailing into a breeze and free Ben to modify course and trim.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  168. 173. You are a model of even-tempered sobriety. Hopefully your day is coming, when berserk cannibalism falls out of vogue once again.

    gary gulrud (d88477)

  169. Thanks.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  170. B-but tax cuts cost teh money

    /Insane libturd

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  171. Obama has no choice, as soon as feasible Helicopter Ben has to return to the presses with QE3. Reality is god-awful but the Ministry of Truth will call it sailing into a breeze and free Ben to modify course and trim.

    Two trillion spent to run up the economy will ignite inflation in 2013. But the spin machine will have us all believing in miracles until November.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  172. Pretty much a Mexican election strategy.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  173. Hyperinflation will happen in October 2012.

    Dohbiden (ef98f0)

  174. That said, if Gingrich wants to have a chance he needs to get back to ideas and goals, where Romney cannot compete, not bashing Romney or complaining about the attack machine.
    Comment by Kevin M — 2/1/2012 @ 8:39 am

    — It might sound good in theory, but the reality is Newt is incapable of doing that.

    Icy (60cd65)

  175. It might sound good in theory, but the reality is Newt is incapable of doing that.

    Odd, because he started off doing exactly that.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  176. Hyperinflation will happen in October 2012.

    Yes, but they will lie about it until December, and then say the solution is to tax everyone more.

    Kevin M (563f77)

  177. That “shoeshine” Romney photo is going around Facebook. I posted Mediaite’s debunking story.`

    Brother Bradley J. Fikes, C.O.R. (94f42d)

  178. Odd, because he started off doing exactly that.

    Comment by Kevin M

    You were clearly referencing how Newt spent most of the campaign and debates above the fray. If someone has been so out of the loop that they never noticed that, that’s a shame. Newt’s been a powerful promoter of presidential grade conservatism at many points.

    Unfortunately, I think Newt is thin skinned to attacks largely because of the disgusting democrat run witchhunt that Romney supports by repeating the worst claims of Pelosi. Of course, that’s totally unpresidential, but Romney takes my vote for granted should be be nominated.

    Can I support a presidential candidate who calls a vindicated man “disgraced” and who dishonestly attempts to suggest a fine was levied against someone who was exonerated? Can I support a candidate that demagogued against a serious discussion of the truth about social security as akin to “killing” social security?

    Can middle of the road Americans support someone who exudes that kind of desperation with flip flops? What happens if he takes the attack machine, which has gone too far and been undisciplined so many times, too far against Obama?

    I know, to rank and file Republicans, it’s not possible to go too far in attacking Obama, but I assure you that is what Obama is hoping Romney thinks.

    Both Newt and Romney have a lot of work to do in improving how they handle their disagreements.

    Dustin (401f3a)

  179. I didn’t know there was a meltdown scheduled for today?

    Nobody tells me anything!

    Comment by Icy

    I was saddened by what happened… but I have no remorse… it’s a terrible thing.

    Colonel Haiku (0905b6)


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